The suitor and the rogue
by ChaosBestFriend
Summary: Ino is living as a Yamanaka, one of the richest families in Konoha. She is an appropriate age to prepare for a marriage, but she is already in love. Will she choose the man over her comfortable life or would she continue to live comfortably with a man that she could get along with.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one

The wind slowly blows the leaves of an old tree and lands on the person sitting below it. There is a girl with light blond hair watching this person, timidly, behind a tree. Her trembling figure, gazing eyes and biting lips prove she is afraid.

Then another figure appears and giggles silently at her shy friend, "Ino, I never saw you this afraid of anything…" The girl in the pink hair tells her friend while trying to get a better look of the boy that made the fearless Ino afraid.

Ino just gives a light moan and pushes the jumpy girl away, "Move…" she sighs, as she continues to stare, "You know I have a big crush for Shikamaru, Sakura."

Sakura raises a brow and smiles mischievously. She manages to grab Ino's hands and lock it behind her, "Then how about you check how he's doing?" she giggles more as she pushes Ino to the sleeping boy. Ino tries her best to fight back, but it proves to be useless since Sakura really had her locked into her hold. The two made tiny baby steps and the seconds it took them to finally make it to him, felt like hours to Ino.

"Sakura…let me go…" Ino says in a hushed up voice and Sakura just nods her head. Instead of releasing her easily, she pushes her towards Shikamaru and she clumsily falls into his arms. Her head is resting on his lap and Sakura is nowhere to be seen.

She hesitates to look at him but did so anyways since she couldn't stay like this forever. Her eyes wander to his face and she could see now Shikamaru is awake. She actually could tell that he's been awake ever since, "Shikamaru..." she says in a dreamlike voice and could feel a string of drool rolling down the sides of her thin lips. She almost loses herself until she shuts her eyes open and quickly gets off his body.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru. I promise it won't happen again."

Shikamaru doesn't look at her. He just sighs and continues to gaze into empty space. His grades are so high that he's able to have this kind of free time. He was nominated as the youngest prodigy to ever live and Ino adored him because of it. She didn't love him back then, but after a certain incident. She learned to love the young man.

"You don't have to worry about anything…" Shikamaru replies, stretching his long arms to the side and closes his eyes softly, "You can do whatever you want…don't let my existence stop you." If it wasn't for his 'real' attitude, he would be rolling around young teenagers but that's just not how he is. He suddenly stands up, placing his cold hands into his pocket and finally stares at Ino in a lazy manner, "So your name is Ino, huh." He continues to stare at her with his cold, dead like eyes. The next words that escape from his mouth makes Ino speechless, "That's a cute name…"

The bell suddenly rings and they remain standing, facing each other. The tardy bell rings and still they stand staring at each other. Shikamaru is known to be lazy, despite his amazing grades but he truly is persistent. The gaze does not break and the bells for every class continue to ring until the final bell appears. Ino could see the students walking outside the school by using her peripheral vision.

The light pink headed girl suddenly appears and she couldn't believe her eyes. She immediately pats Ino on the back and whistles like she caught a big fish, "I thought you ended up being sick and throwing up all of a sudden when I didn't see you come back."

Ino quickly glares at Sakura and at that moment. The young man standing underneath the tree is nowhere to be found. She only laid her eyes off him for a couple of seconds and now he's gone. When she arrived home, she got a huge scolding from her parents but the day she spent just staring at him, felt completely worth every second.

The Next Day

Ino wakes up to find herself inside her room. Her mother walks in with a tray of tea and she looks classical as ever. It never bothered her that her mother's a classical figure. She actually prefer it that way, "Mom, what time is it?" she asked politely, grabbing the cup of tea. Ino is never known to be polite to anyone but her mother. No one knows why or what makes her so special but they figured that being the mother is more than enough.

"You have suitors waiting for you in the lobby." Her mother replies, completely ignoring Ino's question and sitting elegantly on the chair. Ino's jaw slightly drops and she spreads her arms wide, "You got to be kidding me."

Her mother smiles, same elegant posture as before, "It's not lady like to 'kid' Ino. Please greet the guest."

Ino just sighs and walks outside towards the lobby, still in her pajamas. Her mother does nothing to stop her since she knows that nothing will. The girl with the light blonde hair enters the room full of bachelors and sits down on one of the chairs. The murmurs continue to spread around like, "What is she wearing?" or "She has no class."

She took all the criticism until the group of boys slowly diminishes into nothing or so she thought. There is one more boy leaning outside the balcony. His arms are resting towards the outside and his dark blonde hair flows along with the wind in harmony. His eyes are somewhere else and he pays no attention to the fact that everyone has left.

Ino enters the balcony and the sound of the door opening makes the young man look back. He's eyes widen slightly at the bizarre way she dressed and Ino carefully displays herself.

That's right; better leave now since I'm nothing but a peasant. She thought, looking at his eyes.

It was at that moment the young man grabs her hands and brings it close to his lips. His slender lips gently brush against the tips of her knuckles as a slight shade of red suddenly appears on her face. She is confused and surprise that he would do that, after all, the other boys simply denied her existence when she showed them this kind of attitude.

She pulls her hand away from him quickly but the boy's lips continue to remain where the hand once was. Ino glares at him with all her might, "What do you think you're doing." She said, looking down on him. The removes the hand that's holding nothing and slides it to his sides, there is a slight smile on his face as she spoke to him.

"Meeting my fiancé…"

The young boy said with a huge grin on his face. His eyes shows a bit of happiness and it catches Ino off-guard. The young lady move's back with a grunt and says with disgust, "Who said you're going to be my fiancé?"

Right when she spoke, the mother whose elegance is unmatched enters the balcony. Her calm and peaceful nature is a beautiful sight to see. She bows curtly towards the young blonde man and says apologetically, "I'm sorry my daughter is so stubborn Master Naruto." Naruto just smiles and shakes his head slowly while rubbing the back of his hair, "Don't worry about Miss Yamanaka and please don't call me 'Master' it kind of makes me feel old." He said a bit irritated.

Ino grunts at the both of them, "Hello? I'm still here?" she said, waving her hand in front of them to catch their attention. Naruto winks at her in a way like his talking to a child, "That you are princess that you are." Ino quickly snaps back, "I'm no princess!" her stubborn attitude just brings out her inner beauty and Naruto ignores it.

Her mother who has been staying quietly away from the subject for a long time finally interrupts, "Naruto has been waiting for you Ino. He's your fiancé when you were first conceived. I wasn't so happy bringing in a member that's so close to our family so I thought you would like to choose another male. You could say that its fate that brought you two together since you denied more than enough suitable bachelors."

Ino just shakes her head, "You can't say it's fate mother when I'm still denying." It's true. She had yet accepted this young man to be her husband so she never followed the rules of fate to begin with. Her mother doesn't move a single muscle, "You don't seem to understand Ino, so I would explain to you like you're used to." She moves closer to her daughter and Ino freezes on the spot.

She's never used to having her mother this close to her, especially like this, "Naruto is the last bachelor you could choose from Ino so you basically hit the end of the road now. It's the final decision and as a successor of our family. It has to be your outmost pleasure to fulfill it.

The words from her mother create an awkward silence between the three of them. They stood their silently waiting for the other speak, but no words come out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shikamaru walks up the road and see's the Yamanaka Manor. Ino's been acting strange around him and he's not stupid. He knows about her feelings, but she shouldn't be involved with a man like him. A man in complete black appears and hands Shikamaru a yellow folder. The contents are completely confidential and he should be the only person to open it.

The shinobi that hands him the folder disappears in the shadow and is never seen again. It's none of his business what happens to them, but if he had to guess, they all probably died because it would be too risky having a third party involve.

Like the saying goes, "Always kill the middle man…" Shikamaru walks back upstreet and hears a faint voice. For some reason, it sounded so familiar. He looks back, but no one is there and he is standing in the middle of the street hearing voices. If he was concerned of his mental stability, he would've gone to a physiatrist a long time ago.

He brings out a weird orange bottle, like the bottles they hand out in the hospital. It usually contains generic medicine, but for him, that is not the case. He opens the capsule and two light blue pills exit the tight squeezed entrance. He pops them into his mouth and forgets about the sound he heard. The reason why is because the voice is of someone he knows.

* * *

Ino leans against the railing sighing in defeat. She had seen Shikamaru walking up her street and desperately tried to call his name. Naruto tried to stop her and calm her down, but that just made her fight harder. She understands she's running out of time, after her father's death, things have been difficult for her mother and she has just reached her limit.

Naruto supports her failing body, but she stubbornly pushes him off. She needed to keep a distant from this man. She knows for sure he is someone good with the ladies, even if he, himself, doesn't understand.

"Keep off me, will you?" Ino says, brushing off the dust from her bright purple pajamas. Naruto just steps off, eyes a bit a narrow and nods his head in disappointed, "It seems you haven't made your decision. I don't think you understand the situation here Ino, whether you like it or not, I'm doing you and your mother a favor."

The marriage Naruto had propose does have its benefits, but Ino is not interested in that, the only thing holding her back from telling him off is her frail mother, "I know…" Ino sighs in defeat, moving back into the elegant room and dissolving the situation in her mind. If it was her mother in her place than she would've married the first rich man who entered the building, but that's not the case. She has to choose between family and love…it's not easy.

Naruto could see her troubled expression and just chuckles, "Look…" he said, moving in front of her and resting his calm, peaceful hands on her trembling shoulders, "…you have a lot to think about. I understand that and that is why I'll wait for you to decide." The confuse Ino yells at her body to keep her distance, but she couldn't muster up the strength to get angry at such a nice young man. If Shikamaru wasn't the man she loved then it could've gone his way easily.

She nods slowly and Naruto brushes his hand on her head, rubbing it slightly, "I'll come every day until you make your decision." He then walks away from her and exits the building as her mother mysteriously appears out of nowhere, "Another one gone?" she said in a matter-of-fact voice. It wasn't like she was disappointed or anything. It was almost like she saw it coming, but Ino shakes her head, "It's not like that…"

She didn't like it when her mother expected less from her even though she's trying her very best to make the both of them happy. Ino sighs and leaves the room to go up the stairs but she feels someone grabbing her shirt. She looks back and her mother is tugging her closer to her, "Ino, you're a Yamanaka and we've never done anything we would regret." She lets go and disappears into the darkest parts of the house.

Ino just stands there frozen, not knowing what to say or do. Her mother had just told her to not regret her decision, but what meaning was of it?

* * *

Shikamaru enters his cozy little home and throws his boots to the side. He jumps on his couch and with a sigh, looks at the orange little folder in his hands. He has not told anyone, but Shikamaru is actually an ANBU, working for the rich and the powerful. He had done these missions to support for his mother who was on life support, but when she died. He saw no purpose of life and decided to continue.

He has an impressive track record, killing multiple prestigious members and not even his name could be discovered. It's not because the investigators of Konoha are chumps, but because he is that good. The one who thought him all he knows is his real father; poor bastard never knew Shikamaru existed and Shikamaru has no interest in his personal matters.

He is only doing mission for other people and his work happens to interfere with his father works. He looks at the television screen as a newscaster walks quickly to talk to the 'hero of Konoha.'

"Detective, what do you have to say about the butterfly killer?" The newscaster asks as the man takes of his hat, revealing a long scar on his left cheek, "Speak of the devil…" Shikamaru said, looking at his father. His father stands tall with his head up wide and points directly into the camera, "We will find you and we will hurt you. We will make you pay for your crimes and you will pay it with blood."

You could hear distant claps from the audience that are watching. The newscaster herself looks a little too flushed, "Well you heard it here folks. The butterfly killer is no threat against our detectives."

Shikamaru sits up, throwing the yellow jacket folder on the table and bitterly smiles, "Let's play then dad…" he gets up and grabs his jacket from the hanger, leaving his home, looking for his next victim.

* * *

"I can't complain…" Naruto said, walking in the middle of the day to his home. He had dismissed his driver and decided to walk home, but now he's regretting his decision. The goal is miles away and he could feel the heat from the sun penetrating his sensitive skin.

It's not like his not used to walking such distances, but he hasn't brought his wallet with him and his thirst is starting to take the better of him. He could hear his frantic breathing and could barely make out his surroundings. He forces himself to stand by leaning against a stop sign, watching his sweat falling off the tip of his brow.

"Okay, maybe I should've complained…" he admits, trying to get back on his feet since the distance isn't getting any smaller. He dislikes wasting time and this quality has made him a successful business man. He makes massive amount of money, despite coming from poverty and worked all the way to the top.

His hard work has only brought him fortune, so he is not so ready at abandoning the one thing that gave him strength. He walks straight, but awkwardly and could feel his body trembling. The pain from his feet grows numb and he no longer had the will to move, "W-what the hell…" he painfully said, looking around the best as he could.

He shouldn't tire out this easily and he begins to think that maybe there's another reason why. Then at that moment, a girl with pink hair makes her way to him and gently rests her hands on his corrupted body, "Impressive…" The voice said, holding a dangerous amount of hostility, "My employers mentioned that you would be a strong target, but to withstand the dose that can knock out an elephant and still be standing…?"

She giggles lightly and Naruto muffles out his last words before collapsing on the ground, "You're targeting the wrong person…" he then falls on the ground and the pink headed girl laughs, "What…? Are you stupid or something?"

She then feels a knife right next to her neck and she quickly stops laughing. The body that fell on the ground burst into smoke and Naruto grins, "How stupid of you…" he said, grabbing the dart that's supposed to be pierced into his body and stabs her left shoulder. The liquid enters her body quickly and she is knocked cold, glaring at the invisible sky.

Another figure approaches them and plants handcuffs unto the girl's hands, "Great job Naruto. The undercover work is certainly paying off and the fact you're actually in a real rich family drowns all sorts of suspicion." Naruto watches the limp girl being escorted into a small black van and Naruto watches the car leave.

"So was she the butterfly killer?" he asked quickly, looking a bit concern but Shikaku shakes his head, "Sadly no, she has a high bounty on her head, but she is not the butterfly killer." Naruto quickly sighs after hearing those words and continues to walk down the street. He is only interested in the butterfly killer and not even Shikaku could find out why.

Shikaku watches Naruto's body disappearing into the streets, "What's so interesting about the butterfly killer, Naruto Uzumaki…" Shikaku says to himself as he too leaves the scene.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ino slides her arms to her sides, blocking the amazing wind from blowing up her skirt, "I swear it's like they're making these skirts smaller and smaller." The principal of the school is nicknamed ero-sensei and it would make a lot more sense if he had something to do with all of this. The sun shines to her face as she brings up her hands to block the rays so she could see better, in a distance, there is a young man looking at his watch as if waiting for someone.

She finally reaches his location, but the rays are still too strong on her fragile skin, "Uhm, are you looking for someone?" she asked, a bit confused and the man lets out an odd sigh of relief, "Yes." He replied calmly and Ino decides to shake away the weird first impression, "So how does she look like?" the gives out a light chuckle, "Well she's really beautiful and cute. The way she gets angry brings chill to my spine." Ino tries to think of any possible girls but the information is still too vague.

"Can you give me anything else besides what you like about her?" She asked, a bit irritated and the man responds, "Sure, let's see…" his voice is a bit shaky but somewhat familiar, "I like the way she covers her eyes from the sun and also her long blonde hair. The way it wraps around her shoulders make me feel weird in the inside." Ino lets out a gasp after hearing what he said and quickly removes her hand to get a better look of him. His description completely matched her and her current situation, so could it possibly be Shikamaru talking to her?!

She forces her vision to work despite the bright sunlight blasting her eyes to oblivion and could make out an image of a young man with blonde hair. He looked cute, but he's no Shikamaru. Before she could harm her eyes any further, the man blocks the sunlight with his hands and smiles down on her, "You're looking great Ino…"

Ino could see him clearly and lets out a sigh, disappointed that the person is the annoying bachelor back at the mansion, "Why're you wearing those clothes?" she asked, trying to figure out why it looked so familiar until she lets out another breath of huge air, "Those are the clothes for the school I'm going to!" She steps back, a bit afraid of what the man is going to say and he just ignores her, smiling like a little child winning his first argument.

"Hey, I'm trying to ask you something." She stubbornly stomps her feet and gets a bit angry, making Naruto ever more satisfied, "How about you tone that attitude of yours first." He says, not looking at her but his smiling is starting to tick her off, "What attitude?! I don't have an attitude!" she screams at him and the students walking from school are starting to gather around. She's bringing a lot of attention so Naruto places two fingers on her lips and shakes his head slowly, "Don't worry about it Ino…I just transfer schools. I understand you want nothing to do with me so let's just leave it as that."

Ino felt like snapping back at him until she realizes her condition. She has been dragging out tons of attention and it's not good for her reputation if she carries on. She swallows her bitter words and stands in front of the bus stop beside him. The students that were enjoying the drama soon left with disappointed grunts and sighs, "Nothing happens here in Konoha!" one of the students complains as he kicks the rock in front of him.

Naruto lets out a light chuckle and the sound of his laughter forces Ino to follow along. She didn't like him but he's alright. She thought, ignoring that fact that he is also good looking. The whiskers and boyish attitude is easy to look over and if you pass that then you could find out that his actually quite attractive, "So where you from?" Ino says, surprisingly polite and Naruto just follows along, satisfied this conversation is taking this approach, "Well it's kind of a secret…" He says while grimacing, Ino leans her head forward to see him and he just gives her a bitter smile, "It would be best if we don't talk about it." He adds, trying not to look suspicious but before she could press on. The bus arrives and Naruto quickly gets on.

* * *

Ten-ten stretches carefully, holding the ball between her feet as the door suddenly opens, "What the…" she said in a confused manner. The door is supposed to be shut tight and only opens if the lever is pulled. It would be physically impossible for the wind to open it and if there was a crack. The door wouldn't shut.

"Hello?" she asked as the door swings its body back and forth, providing no answers. She walks over to the door and could feel chills running through her neck and unto her shoulders. It's an eerie feeling of someone watching her and she looks back quickly.

There is no one. The ball and the court remained the same as it once was. She lets out a relieved sigh, turning around to close the door. Then suddenly a man appears in front of her, holding a dark plastic bag.

* * *

"Get in there you shameful child!" The guard yells, hitting the young girl's arms as she walks into her cell. The girl lets out a light shudder after being hit but follows the orders anyways. She doesn't have the strength or the equipment to escape this jail and she is only waiting for death. The judge had quickly sentenced her to a death sentence since she was the second most wanted fugitive in the world.

One of the male guard walks towards her cell with a clipboard, "Sakura Haruno…" The voice said as Sakura raises her frail hand. It's at this time the guards usually go around checking for attendance so she had to lift up her hand with all the strength she could muster up, "Here…" she quietly says, not showing any signs of resistance nor anger.

The lights suddenly turn off and the whole prison is covered in darkness, "What on earth?!" the guard in front of her cell brings out a flashlight and point in the inside of the cell. The guard runs towards the lockdown button and presses it immediately as he brings out his radio, pressing it to his mouth, "Prisoner 2234 is not in the building, I repeat, Prisoner 2234 is not in the building." The loud red siren booms and everyone is in panic.

* * *

Sasuke grabs his knife close to his chest, breathing lightly and keeping his composure. He's apartment had been infiltrated and the assassin that's hunting him down is familiar with the arts of the mist. That is why his apartment room is now a battle ground and if he loses his composure. He would be immediately killed.

He walks deeper in the mist slowly, making a soundless creaking noise muttering beneath his feet. His brows are crossed, watching his surroundings carefully, trying to not make any sudden movements. He couldn't call the cops since he is also an international killer, "Why don't you make your move already?" Sasuke whispers, traveling his voice far to the side so his location could remain silent.

The mist suddenly clears up and Sasuke smiles in victory. The voice leads to a trap and that trap would kill the person instantly if he steps on it. The clearing mist must have meant he won, but when he tries to move his body, it does not respond. His smile quickly disappears and he could feel his sweat dripping from the tip of his nose. He knows he is in trouble now but he also knows who is behind all this trouble.

* * *

Sakura feels herself being shaken rapidly and she wakes up with a start. Her surroundings are covered in newspaper articles and the people around her look familiar. She could see Zabuza, Shikamaru and Sasuke. There is currently only one missing member from the old bandit group. The four of them led the biggest revolution in history, but it failed due to the military might of the states, "Where is?" She gets cut off from Shikamaru, "Don't say his name. He is no longer one of us." Shikamaru replies, holding his hands in front of her face and she sighs since she doesn't understand why.

"Just don't ask about it and concentrate on what I'm going to tell the all of you right now." Shikamaru explains as he brings down a long folding map from the roof of the building.

* * *

Naruto has said his farewells from Ino and quickly leaves to the back of the building. If his information is correct then one of his 'friends' should be here. He arrives and there is a man with a dark green suit, holding a briefcase in his hands, "Hey Naruto!" He says loudly as he throws the apple away and Naruto walks to greet the friendly figure, "How's it going Lee?" The two quickly shake hands and then Lee opens the briefcase, revealing photos of a girl. Naruto could see her face but he refused to accept its reality, "So this is the girl they're after?"

He said bitterly, trying to hold back his anger and Lee just nods his head, feeling his pain, "I know you're getting close with this girl Naruto, but you should understand that she's hands off in this operation. Sakura has escaped the prison and Sasuke is nowhere to be seen. You could only guess what they've been up to."

Naruto bashes his hand on the concrete wall, watching the bits of rocks falling to the ground, "Damn it! I know it's Shikamaru behind this, I swear it to you!" Lee tries to calm him down by placing his hand on Naruto's shoulders, "We won't know for sure, but we will stop them. You have to concentrate hard on this mission Naruto, whether you like it or not those people are considered your equals. It would be tough keeping her alive if you're not serious."

Naruto nods silently and the two quickly depart, agreeing to meet at another place.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ino is sitting in her room doing some last minute homework. It's late in the night and she expected no visitors, but then all of a sudden a light rock hits her window. She looks up and quickly looks outside to find a boy with a ponytail. She immediately recognizes him and steps back breathless. She didn't understand why he's here but he is, and that's all that matters, "Shikamaru?" The boy grins after hearing his name but regains his composure quickly as he scolds himself for showing her another side of him.

"Look, Ino, it's going to be dangerous soon and I just wanted to warn you." Shikamaru said, shrugging his shoulders and closing his eyes, as if she's lucky to be warned. Ino cocks her head to the side, while leaning against her window, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Shikamaru bites his tongue, not knowing what to say, "Look…it's hard to explain right now but if you value the life of your love ones. It's probably best you stay inside."

"For how long…?" Ino was suspicious, but now she's worried. What would she do with the upcoming exam if it isn't safe anymore? She doesn't doubt Shikamaru since he never came to her house for anything. If he had to come now then that could only mean one thing. He has to be telling the truth.

Shikamaru calculates the time in his head and then lifts his finger figuring out, "If you want to be untouched by anything. It would probably be best you stay inside for a year."

Ino's eyes widen and she couldn't accept that, "ONE YEAR!?" she steps back breathing with difficulty, "Shikamaru I can't stay inside for a whole year. I got school, friends and sports to go to." Shikamaru leans against one of the huge trees outside her house and crosses his arms, "Are all these things in school?"

"Yea!?" she doesn't know where his leading to and Shikamaru just shrugs his shoulders again, "Than there's nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean…?"

"I mean…the school is on the verge of collapsing."

Shikamaru sighs and decides to leave and Ino doesn't stop him. She has a lot to think about right now. She felt like she's dreaming and she would wake up soon, but just to make sure, she dials the school's number. The amount of time for the voice records to pick up felt like years to Ino. She hangs up after several more failures and sighs, "Could Shikamaru really be telling the truth…?" she ponders that question in her head.

Shikamaru would never come to her house unless it's important. If it's important then he couldn't be lying, "He's probably just joking with me…right?" she's questioning her beliefs, the feelings running through her nerves make her desperate for resolution. She wants something to prove Shikamaru is wrong, yet she hopes he will come back and explain it all to her.

The door suddenly opens with a start and a young blonde man is being dragged by her mother, "Move from the bed sweetheart…" Her mother said, dragging a lifeless body into her room. The dirt the person left mount together and create a horrible stain on her carpet, "M-mom…?" Ino looked bewildered, everything is just happening too fast.

Her mother gives her a look and then lays the man on the table. Ino could see his face now and she slumps to her desk chair, "Is th-that…Naruto?" the man is still breathing, but if you don't observe it than you couldn't really tell. Her mother nods and turns on the T.V, "This will explain everything…"

4 hours ago

Naruto is looking outside the window of a black S.U.V, watching the rain slide down carefully to the bottom and betting which one is going to win. He feels bored. The crew from the police said they've received and unanimous report that the group Naruto is looking for is around here. Naruto is too young to drive and Lee is busy making ends meet with another case so he had to ask one of the newbies to drive for him.

Naruto is a senior detective since he started at a very young age, but he is not yet legal to drive. The young man who is driving for him looks to his side excitedly. He is proud to drive for one of Japan's top detectives no matter what age he is, "Naruto, right, I'm a huge fan." The young man said happily and Naruto looks to the side with a slight grin. He doesn't like the attention he's getting because he's young but he likes to look out for the underdogs like him.

"It was just hard work that anyone could do if they gave it their all." Naruto replies, stretching his arms. The rain made it too difficult to see anything and the mist was oddly strange, but they decided to drive though at least until the rain stops.

The duo sat in silence, beginning to get bored, they start another conversation.

"So how does it feel to be the youngest senior detective?"

"I feel like I was given no choice and they forced me into doing it."

Despite Naruto's joking manner, that's what really happened. Naruto was an ex-convict given the rights to be a detective. He had broken two world records, being the youngest criminal and being the youngest detective, just days after he got arrested. Many people have protested against it but when the results came out with his achievements, he soared pass the roof and successfully reached the rank of senior detective.

The two laugh at Naruto's 'joke' and continued to drive in silence. That's when they received a creepy signal from their radio, "Come in, come in, we need back up." The radio keeps repeating and the young policeman brings the radio to his mouth, "Patrol car 5530 free, what is your situation?"

They weren't doing anything just driving around so it was a good idea of the young man to answer the call. Naruto had no problem with it since he's begging for something just to happen. The report happens to be a suspicious group entering the building and two policemen are trapped in gunfire.

Naruto and the young man reach the school in a matter of minutes since luckily they were so close. The police car is sitting outside just like they said and Naruto looks inside real quick. The insides were covered in fire and it seems to be some kind of magic. It isn't rare but it helps pinpoint who caused this.

Naruto looks at his partner with a grin, "You want to knock two birds with one stone?" The young man just stares at him confused. He doesn't say anything since he understands Naruto's skills to be a detective and just waits patiently for everything to be revealed to him. They walk over to the main entrance and the sounds of gun fire seem to have ceased.

They both walk silently side by side and open the unlocked school door. The inside is deadly quiet and Naruto could smell something weird in the air. He quickly covers his face with his shirt and looks at the policeman beside him. He's holding something in his hand and Naruto could tell something is wrong, "Hey!" he walks over to him and shakes his shoulders, "Clear out, I'll take care of things here!"

Naruto warns him but the guard slowly shakes his head, "I can't…" Naruto eyes widen as he notices the thing he's clenching so tightly, "I…Can't…" he repeats and Naruto could feel a sense of danger from him. The man's body tenses and blood streams down from the thing he is holding, "Look…" Naruto tries to stop him but the man pushes him off, "I CAN'T LEAVE MY WIFE TO DIE!"

The thing he is holding is a name tag and it has the same last name as his. Naruto felt stupid for not noticing the plan, "It's useless if you both get killed! We have to think this through!" the man breathes heavily but does not respond, instead, he runs up the stairs like a jet and Naruto is force to follow him.

The two run up the stairs and the weird smell is getting stronger. Naruto just hopes it isn't what he thinks it is. When they finally reach the stairs, the man stops and falls to his knees, "No…" he whispers silently as Naruto finally catches up and leans forwards, so much for being a detective if he can't even keep up with a cop. He looks to what the man is feeling so sad about and two bodies are lying on the ground.

The man struggles to stand up and Naruto realizes he gave it his all when he was running. He looks at the limp man and drags him to his fallen beloved. The walk felt like miles and Naruto understood that every second he is wasting right now could be his last. This is obviously a trap, but he would rather die doing something right.

The man is heavier then he looks, but Naruto continues. The smell of burn flesh is really strong and Naruto couldn't even make out the faces of these people anymore. They were burned beyond recognition but for some reason, the man knew who he's wife was and hugs the burned body. He wrapped his arms around her and surprisingly, the body hugged him back. Naruto is sure who the culprits were now since there is only one technique with this type of effect.

"Dammit Sasuke…it shouldn't end like this…" Naruto whispers to the person who caused all this and Sasuke appears behind him out of nowhere, "You like what you see?" he says with a twisted laughter and Naruto could feel the kunai knife right next to his neck, to make things worse, he is being controlled by Shikamaru's shadow jutsu. He couldn't help but watch this pitiful event in front of him.

The disfigured being opens her eyes and smiles, despite being in pain beyond comprehension, "Baby, what are we doing here…" the person said. Her voice sounds so peaceful that it makes it feel like everything is okay. The man looks at his dying wife, tears sliding down the side of his face, "We're home babe…we're home…"

Time stops.

Naruto is staring at a large wave of black flame heading their way and there's no way he could escape this alive. Sasuke is no longer behind him, but he was just there to secure Naruto's death. Naruto bites his lips, preparing for the impact, but then the man in front of him screams, "Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" The air feels dry as if being sucked into whatever he was doing.

A huge blinding light appears and the shadows controlling him distinguish slowly by the light. Naruto took the extra second the young man bought for him and jumps outside the window. He looks at the man holding away the dark flames and the young man gives him a thumbs up, "This is for my wife!" he said, tears still falling from his face.

The protection could only withstand so much and the flames quickly destroy it. The man who saved his life is completely covered by the flames and the impact is so great it knocks Naruto further to the ground. Naruto summons everything he has and creates multiple shadow clones.

To his luck, he happens to break his fall by using the clones, but the damage was already done. He needed to get out of here. The clones slowly disappear except for five and he ordered them to run separate directions so that he could find someplace safe.

He thinks to himself carefully and the idea of bringing in backup will just cause more fatalities so he had no choice but to bring her in. He gets up, holding his ash covered body. The blood dripping from his stomach is fatal and the only thing holding him up is the remaining chakra he had left.

"I'm sorry Ino…" Naruto said, stumbling toward her house.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Naruto could feel his body being dragged upon a soft bed as he slowly opens his eyes. He could see Ino standing dumbfounded and it didn't help the situation one bit. He actually felt the need to stand up, despite his condition, and embrace her.

Her mother on the other hand is working like a real doctor, checking his blood pressure, tightening his wounds. She even had an IV bag strapped on him and that's something you need medical experience to have.

Naruto just sighs, accepting the medical treatment with a saddened attitude. He loss on against his old comrades and that itself hurts his pride.

Ino kneels down beside her mother, handing her the equipment and medicinal capsules she needed. She wants to help anyway she can't but she still refuses if Shikamaru had anything to do with this.

"Hand me that orange capsule that says morphine."

"Yes mother."

"Hand me those pair of scissors and that role of tape."

"Yes mother…"

It was like that all night and the wall that was built between Ino and her mother had temporary fallen. They were both working in harmony.

* * *

The sun is shining and Ino's mother wipes the sweat from her brows.

"Finally…"

She says gratefully, even letting out a small smile.

"I thought maybe we might lose you Naruto."

She jokes but you could tell she was actually concerned. She didn't like the idea of finding out that the notorious rich playboy was actually a undercover agent who likes to get into trouble, but he is still a suitable husband for Ino.

"Well I'm leaving you two alone for now. You can say whatever you like but please do mind the neighbors. They do not like yelling."

She stands up and walks towards the door, closing it softly and leaving the two with themselves for quite a while.

Naruto and Ino are inside the room, silence in the air as they wait to whom will speak first.

"Crazy night, huh…?

Ino said, breaking the awkward silence with an even more awkward joke. Naruto nearly died, but it wasn't like she owed him anything in the first place. The bandages covering Naruto's body force him the lay down, so he couldn't really look at her in the eyes.

"Ino…"

He made up his mind since last night, but then why is it so difficult to tell her. He gulps before saying,

"I think it's best if you leave me now…It's not good if we stay together like this. I know your mother is trying to find you a suitable suitor and all that, but I'm definitely not it. I also used you to find out who the butterfly killer was and it was actually an old friend of mine. What were the odds?"

Naruto chuckles bitterly before squinting from the pain. He scolded himself for moving and understood how crucial it is for his body to rest.

"Long conversation short…this will be the last time you ever see me."

The words hit Ino directly and she was almost surprised of how much it hurt. She didn't feel angered at all when he admitted he was just using her, but to never see him again. She actually enjoyed his company and she didn't have many friends to begin with. He was actually the first friend she ever had that was a boy and he was very well tempered. He didn't get angry a lot, he didn't scold her when she did something stupid and he didn't force her do anything.

She knows that he is just perfectly fine with her being…well…her…

And it feels really lonely now that she is told this would be the last time she ever sees him.

"Is there any other way…?"

She asked, but Naruto shakes his head slowly.

"Nothing that I could think of."

Ino stands up. It was surprised she felt hurt from him saying such a thing, but now she's freaking out that she's trembling! She forces her body to walk towards the door and every step felt like she was stepping on nails. She is leaving him. She will never see him. She will never hear his voice again nor shall she see his face. This is what she wanted in the beginning. To put it more exact, she never wanted him in the first place.

But then why!

Why!

Why!

Why!

Why is she taking it so hard!

Why is it being so difficult to handle!

She grabs on the knob and stands there, noticing something liquid falling off her face.

Is she crying!?

How?

Why?

Could…

Could it be…?

No, she refuses it to be that!

She refuses to admit it most of all. She will not admit it. She will not accept it!

The door does not open.

She does not turn the knob.

She is holding its cold metallic body, hoping hers can switch to the same type, but it can't, it won't, she will not steel her nerves and accept the way things are. Her body moves on her own and she is no longer in control. Her heart is taking command and she runs towards Naruto's body.

She jumps on the bed and lands perfectly beside him.

"Ino?!"

Naruto nearly flips off, but she is holding him too tight.

"Don't chase me away…"

Ino pouts, closing her eyes tightly and holding unto Naruto as Naruto looks down at her in surprise. He always thought she wanted him to go away, but this is just too weird.

"I'm not chasing you away because I want to. I'm chasing you away because you'll be endangered."

Images of the poor young man and his wife that was in the school pops into his mind, but Ino just shakes her head.

"I don't care."

She said with resolve.

"I'm…"

Naruto tries to push her off before she says it, but it's too late.

"I'm going to stick by your side forever…so just…just deal with it."

"Deal with it…?"

"Deal with it…"

* * *

A/N: Here ya go!


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